


Warm Hands, Warm Bodies, Warm Hearts

by AbsolutelyAtrocious



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: M/M, Platonic Cuddling, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 05:10:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14229990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsolutelyAtrocious/pseuds/AbsolutelyAtrocious
Summary: Lex is an ordinary man with no magic to speak of, and he gets cold from time to time. Meanwhile, Azel has Fjalar blood flowing through him and is warm enough to be used as a space heater.





	Warm Hands, Warm Bodies, Warm Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: im only on like chapter 2 of genealogy please don't smack me

Lex was kind of regretting bringing Azel to Chalphy. He had figured it wouldn’t be more than a few days, or maybe a week at most, before he got to go back home and Azel would come with him. He would drop the prince off at Velthomer and ride back home, now having a bit more money and a few more scars to his name. (And maybe, he had hoped that Azel would grow closer to him for it. But rescuing Lady Aideen just kind of made Azel crush on her harder. Oh well.)

Instead of being home in bed, safe from the wind behind stone walls, he was out in a flimsy-ass tent a few paces in from the edge of the forest. It had rained yesterday on the march, and Lex was pretty sure he didn’t need to bathe anymore after the shower Mother Nature had dumped on him, his mount, and everything in his unbuckled saddlebags. He always forgot to close them, and nothing ever fell out. So it won’t be a problem, right? Wrong. All his shit was soaking wet. Or rather, was soaking wet. Now it was probably at damp levels, thanks to the handy, too-nice-for-his-own-good fire mage Azel.

Or was he too nice? Maybe he was just being a friend. Definitely reading too much into things.

Whatever the reason was, Lex was trying not to shiver while he polished his axe. He was wearing just his undershirt and the pair of trousers that were the least damp, and they didn’t provide much shielding from the cold air.

The axe didn’t really need to be polished. He’d been working on it for, like, half an hour. Thing was, he didn’t want to look up from it, because Azel was right there in the other corner, and if he looked up he might grin for no reason except for hey, it’s Azel. And that might look like more than being a best friend. And that wasn’t okay, not when your best friend was definitely chasing after a pretty lady with a heart to serve and determination in every healing spell she cast.

Speaking of spells.

Lex looked up. Shit, fuck, shit, blast it all, his friend and definitely not crush looked really handsome like that. Azel’s bright red eyes, warm as a pair of embers, weren’t fixed on Lex, but instead his own hands. Said hands were outstretched and glowing with a flickering light, fire, dimmed down and held captive by a spell that warmed without burning. Warmed. Even though Lex was a couple feet away, he felt his face warm.

His face…Azel’s face. Brows furrowed slightly in concentration, lips almost pouting with a little bit more effort than he used usually. The faint flames made his pale cheeks glow orange. He looked like a painting or something else really pretty. Or a wildflower: hardy and pretty and adaptable.

Huh. Maybe Lex should write poetry.

“Hey,” someone said. Actually, Lex had just said that. Aw, damn. Azel looked up.

“You done drying those yet?” Gosh he sounded like a dumbass. Somehow, Azel chuckled. He flicked his hands to dispell the flames and brought one down to touch the fabric.

“Not quite yet,” Azel said. “Looks like you’re gonna be stuck in your underclothes a bit longer.” He put his hands back out in front of him and began an incantation, before stopping. Those bright embers that were Azel’s eyes flickered upwards, crimson meeting blue in the other corner of the tent.

“Actually, you could come over here if you like. Aren’t you cold?” Azel asked.

Lex was certainly cold for the most part. His face felt hot, and he hoped that it wasn’t noticeable in the dim light. “Yeah, sure,” he said. Keep it casual. He put down his axe and wiped his hands on a rag. The black polish stuck in the lines on his palms. That was okay, everything was kind of dirty at this point. The tent was too small to stand in, so Lex instead did an awkward half-shuffle, half-crawl over to Azel. He sat next to the mage, close, but careful not to actually let their bodies touch.

Even with a small amount of distance between them, Lex could feel the heat radiating from Azel. “Damn, you’re really warm,” he said. Immediately, it seemed, his cheeks got even hotter. Smooth move, Lex. Smooth move. Azel didn't notice, though. Which was for the best.

"You can get closer, you know. If you like." Azel turned back to the clothes he had been drying, leaving the suggestion up in the air. Cautiously, Lex moved to rest his cheek on Azel's shoulder. There was no protest. Only quiet, gentle warmth and acceptance. Azel's body warmed his, even through the cape the mage wore. The chill that had permeated Lex faded and gave way to sweet, sweet warmth.

And if the warmth was a little more than just a fire mage's natural body heat, who could judge him save for himself?


End file.
